Snow Angel
by Moon White Rose
Summary: Winter; Link's least favorite time of the year. Snow; Link's least favorite thing. He's convinced that nothing can change his mind about what he hates. Too bad he didn't count on a snow angel to try and make him see that winter and snow are the best things ever.


** A/N: A short little one-shot set loosely after **_**OoT**_**, in which Link stayed an adult. I just love the idea of Link being a father; why, I have no idea. This was somewhat inspired by the beginning half of the score, **_**Catching Snowflakes,**_** from the movie **_**Breaking Dawn Part 2**_**. I do not own **_**The Legend of Zelda**_**. Enjoy.**

** ~Moon White Rose**

* * *

**Snow Angel**

* * *

The biting wind and steely gray clouds that had chased him and his wife to the warmth of their bed the night before had morphed into something much more noticeable during the dark hours spent underneath the watch of a full, silvery moon. He knew this to be the case the second his eyes fluttered open. There was a distinct chill in the air of the bedchamber; he could feel it in the tips of his long ears which were not protected by the thick quilts and covers that were drawn up to his chin. A soft, barely audible groan left his mouth as he squeezed his eyes shut and sought out the warm, soft body of his wife.

His arms quickly ensnared her toned, but slender, waist and his lips found her soft, golden waves on their own. He heard her giggle quietly and he pulled her closer, relishing in the warmth they shared as they burrowed deeper into their silken cocoon. This was how he wanted to spend the rest of his day; the rest of his life. Link, the mighty Hero of Time, the savior of Hyrule, and its king of almost five years, would have been content to stay frozen in this moment with his wife for all time. Unfortunately, she had other ideas.

Zelda rolled over in her husband's loose embrace, her violet blue eyes bright and her smile tender and warm. Link slowly opened his eyes and when they saw the look she gave him, they stayed open. His wife was beautiful; she got lovelier each day, and he admittedly loved seeing her with that look that said she was still half asleep, which was the look she had on now, even though the brightness of her smile could have matched the brightness of the sun.

For a minute they just stared at each other, and then Zelda leaned in until her small, pink lips were on her husband's ear. "I have a secret," she said in a soft, bubbly voice. He half smiled and waited for her to continue. "Link… we have to get up."

"Zelda," he groaned. "That's not a secret; it's a curse. I still can't comprehend how you can tolerate the cold, let alone _enjoy_ it." She smiled knowingly and threw back the covers. The frigid air assaulted their bodies and Link glared. His wife only shivered briefly and then she was up. Unlike her husband, who hated Hyrule's winter months, Zelda loved them because they brought back so many wonderful memories from her younger years, such as playing in heaps of snow and snuggling in her mother's lap while she sipped on hot drinks as the fire warmed her frozen body. For Zelda, winter and snow were associated with happiness; unfortunately, the same could not be said for Link.

The time he had spent as a child in Kokiri Forest had been relatively the same temperature and weather wise; in short, it had never snowed. Rain, yes, cold wind, on occasion, and warm sun, definitely, but snow, _never_. Then after awaking from his seven year slumber and earning the medals of the first three sages, he had had his first run in with the cold white stuff.

Thanks to a curse by Ganondorf, Zora's Domain had frozen over and it had been up to him to free the aquatic race. Snow had met him before even reaching the Domain, and then he had had to go through the dreaded Ice Cavern…. Just remembering that cold, icy terror caused him to shiver again and he pulled the covers back up around him. No, he would never be like his wife in this way; he would never like the snow. Zelda watched him out of the corner of her eye as she quickly changed into the thick dress she had laid out the night before.

_If only I could make him see that winter isn't all that bad_, she thought as she sat next to him. He gave her a lopsided grin, but it didn't work; he got a quick kiss on the cheek before she pulled him out of the bed's warm embrace. His grin transformed into a scowl as he reluctantly got dressed. Suddenly, an idea hit Zelda. "I'll see you later," was all that she said before exiting the room.

If Zelda couldn't get him to smile… then perhaps _she_ could.

* * *

The dining hall was as quiet as a tomb when Link entered, catching him off guard. Normally it was bustling with servants, other castle residents, and advisors; it was always so lively. The unease that lingered from his days of being "The Hero," welled up in him, and on reflex, he reached for his back… but naturally, no sword was there for him to grab. A sudden laugh, a sweet, high sound, shattered the silence and filled the hall, causing a blush to creep into Link's face.

"Siwwy Dada; you pwayin wif yur visdble toys gin!" The voice came from beneath the table and seconds later, a small body darted out from under the cream colored tablecloth. Before Link could react, said body smashed into his legs and knocked him onto his back. For a second all he could see was the ceiling; feel a weight on his chest. Then a little face came into view, a face that was surrounded by honey blond curls and adorned with bright, shining sapphire blue eyes. Tiny lips formed a smile and Link formed one to match.

"I wasn't playing with invisible toys," he murmured as he stood and scooped up his three year old daughter, "and it seems you got me again. Where did you ever learn to be so sneaky Aurora?" The little girl smiled a toothy grin.

"Mama," she answered sweetly. He should have known; no one was as stealthy as his wife. _Figures she would pass that on to our daughter_, he thought as he set his little girl down. Aurora rushed over to the table and with all her might, tried to pull out Link's chair. His lips twitched upward as he tried to refrain from laughing.

"Need a hand?" he asked as he walked over. She viciously shook her head and her curls bounced.

"Na, I wan do!" He coughed to cover the laughs he couldn't contain. _Now, if only I could figure out where her stubbornness and independence comes from_; the thought flashed through his head momentarily. He heard the chair scrape across the stone floor seconds later and when he looked his daughter had pulled the piece of furniture out just enough for her to climb in. She settled in the too big chair and looked at him sweetly; there was a second of silence. "Ma chir," she finally said.

"Oh it is? You're the King of Hyrule?" He picked her up and set her in his lap. "If you are the King, then you've just been dethroned," he murmured as he tickled her under the chin. Aurora's happy squeals filled the room, chasing away the gloomy silence. Eventually she settled down and it was about that time that Zelda walked in; the look on her face giving away the fact that she had seen the whole playful exchange between him and their mischievous girl.

"It seems as if you two are having a fun time," Zelda said as she scooped her baby out of her husband's lap. "Were you playing with Daddy?" Aurora nodded vigorously and as the trio began to eat, Aurora filled her mother in on the details of her moments alone with Link.

"Wis Dada coo pway wif me more," she finished, with more than a hint of sadness in her voice. Link felt guilty at the words, but it was the perfect opening line for her plan. She reached over and lovingly stroked her daughter's curls as she pretended to stare ahead thoughtfully. Link wasn't fooled; she had something up her sleeve.

"You know sweetheart, Mommy's busy today, but Daddy isn't; in fact, he has the whole day free."

"I _do_?" he asked skeptically, wondering now more than ever what Zelda was planning. Of course he wanted to be with his daughter, but he did have obligations to the kingdom, things he couldn't just ignore then look at when it suited him. Zelda laughed lightly, but shot him a warning look.

"Silly, you must have forgotten that you cleared your schedule last night, just so you could spend the day with Aurora, remember?" Zelda looked at him knowingly and Aurora also had her eyes on him; they were lit with hope and excitement, and Link knew he was beat.

He could not say no to the two most important women in his life.

"That's right, I completely forgot, thanks for reminding me Zelda," he said while giving her a look of his own; a look that silently thanked her for giving him this chance as well as demand to know what was going on. She stood and he got his answer seconds later.

He almost could have killed her; almost.

"You're welcome love," she said, her voice somewhat playful. Just before she left the room though, she turned back and smiled at Aurora. "By the way baby, it snowed quite a bit last night, and Daddy's going to take you to courtyard so that you two can play. Stay warm and have fun, the _both_ of you."

* * *

Link constantly switched from having his arms folded over his chest to rubbing his hands together and breathing on them; neither were doing a good job of keeping him warm. His thick pants and tunic, along with his cape, weren't doing very well either, and it irritated the young royal just a little more with each passing minute. He had tried reasoning, and begging, with Aurora, but she had made it clear that being outside in the wet, icy snow was where she wanted to be.

She was currently packing heaps of snow into little balls; what she was going to do with them, he had no idea, and he really didn't care, so long as she didn't hurt herself. As he watched her play though, the pricks of guilt he felt stung as much as the pricks of snow that bit his exposed skin. He should be playing with her, not just watching her, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

It wasn't that he didn't just _like _the snow, it scared him; at least, the memories it brought up scared him. He had never told anyone his fear, partially out of embarrassment and partially because no one would understand. He tried so hard to block out all that had happened over that span of time which happened not so very long ago; that span of days, weeks, months, and years that had eventually earned him the title, The Hero of Time.

He had been a simple child forced to bear the burdens of a grown-up going above and beyond the call of duty. He had had to learn so much of the world that had not been his little forest home, and he had had to learn it quickly. Hyrule and its vastness had intimidated him and Death Mountain with its sweltering heat and rocky inhabitants had practically crushed and suffocated him.

Zora's Domain had taken his breath away. He had fallen in love with all the waterfalls and the sheer beauty of the Domain itself. In some ways, ways he could never explain, it had reminded him of home, and the Zoras hospitality had been wonderful. It had almost _been_ another home, even though Ruto had scared him a little with her "marriage" proposal; thankfully the two had gotten things worked out after Ganondorf had been defeated.

He knew that he should leave all of that in the past where it belonged, but little things were constant triggers and snow was one of the biggest of those reminders. He could still feel those little bits of icy water sticking to his skin, driving more heat from his body the closer he got to the Domain; if he closed his eyes he could still see the race frozen beneath his feet, could still see the clumps of snow in the Ice Cavern grow red with the both the blood of his enemies and his own blood.

It really was such a stupid fear, but he just couldn't help it. That race to save Hyrule had soured a lot of things for him that should have been sweet…. "Dada?" Link blinked his eyes and he was no longer in his mental forest of bad memories; he was back in the castle courtyard and Aurora was looking up at him, her head tilted in confusion. "Dada, way you cwyin?" Surprised, Link brushed at his eyes and cold tear streaks made their presence known.

"I…I, just; it's nothing Aurora," he lied as he forced a smile and knelt down to her level. "Are you ready to go in? Your nose is red." He tapped her nose and while she giggled, she hardly looked convinced. Yes, she had her struggles just like every other three year old, but she was unnaturally smart and perceptive for her age; he figured that was another thing she got from her mother. She shook her head to answer his question and for a minute she just stared, her head still tilted, with her eyes squinted.

"Dada, er you scawed of the snew?" Where the question came from, he had no idea. He did know though that the look on his face must have answered her question, because she sat and motioned for him to join her. Numb, he obeyed his little princess. Why in the name of Hyrule was she so smart? "Wha?" she finally asked when he made no move to continue their conversation.

"Because," he finally sighed, "something very bad happened to Dada the first time he saw snow; something so bad, that snow makes him remember how scared he was that first time." He could tell she didn't quite understand, and the perfect illustration came to mind. "Aurora, do you remember that time you and Mommy were on her horse, and he horse took off without warning, and it carried you and Mommy far away?" Aurora's eyes widened as she recalled the incident Link was referring too.

The incident had taken place in the early spring a few weeks after Aurora's third birthday. A bird had suddenly flown out of a bush that had been next to Zelda's mare; it had spooked the normally gentle horse and it had taken off at a gallop. Eventually they had been caught and both had been fine, but Aurora had developed a fear of all horses.

"You wouldn't go near horses, just because of that one wild ride; seeing any horse reminded you of how scared you felt that day. That's what snow does to me, do you understand Aurora?" He waited and slowly, she nodded but then she climbed into his lap, put her little hands on each side of his face and looked him in the eyes.

"Ya mad me go ba-ac on," she said quietly. Link had no idea what to say to say or think about that, other than that Ganondorf was probably laughing his head off, wherever he was at, at seeing Link, the Mighty Hero, get told what to do by a three year old. The thought made him smile a little too; it was true, he and Zelda had made her get back on. Yes, they had understood her fears and they had been with her each step of the way, but they had made her face her fears for her benefit.

_Is this really the same though? I saw death and violence in a whole new way…._ Link realized he was making excuses and it stopped his line of thought. He would never forget what he saw, but he had let those phantom fears hold him back from trying new things; experiencing new joys. _Perhaps I'm not as mature as I thought I was; perhaps in some ways, I am still a kid in an adult's body,_ he thought with a mental laugh. He was being stubborn, just like his daughter; perhaps she had inherited a few traits of his after all.

Aurora climbed out of his lap then, breaking his attention away from his thoughts. She took his big hand in her little one and tried to pull him up. "UP DADA!" she said determinedly, "UP!"

"All right, I'm up, I'm up." he got to his feet and followed her across the courtyard to a long stretch of deep, untouched snow. Images of it being red of filled with white wolfos flashed through his mind, but he quickly discarded them. No, he would not go down that road again. She lay on her back and looked up at him.

"Dada, pway wif me, pweeeese?" he stared down at her, his little annoyingly right miracle that was pulling him away from his fears, without judging him in the slightest for having them. She was making him "get back on the horse,"… and it didn't bother him, because she was doing out of pure, simple love.

"Of course Aurora, what are we going to play?" Her smile made the sunlight look dull.

"We gonna mik snew anjols!" He pretended to look confused and she sat up, her head tilted, just like it always did when something didn't make sense.

"But why do we want to make fake snow angels, when there's already a real one here?" Aurora was on her feet in moments, looking around wildly for the real snow angel.

"Wir Dada? I no see." He scooped her up in the blink of an eye and hugged her close.

"Silly girl, the real snow angel, _my _real angel is you. I love you Aurora." He could hear her smile as she whispered in his ear.

"Dada, ya an Mommy a my anjols, and I wuv ya too."

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**A/N: Well, there you go. I haven't written in a while, but this idea hit me and I had to write it down; hope you liked it. Later!**

**~Moon White Rose**


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